Time Out Love Chicago Awards

It’s that time again. Time to vote for your favorite restaurant, bar, coffee shop, or cultural venue in the South Loop at TimeOut.com. Many local establishments are on the ballot, including Flo & Santos, Overflow Coffee Bar, Weather Mark Tavern, and Glessner House Museum.

To cast your vote, click on the link!

You can vote for Glessner House Museum and other South Loop venues at TimeOut.

South Loop restaurants get noticed

Time Out highlighted 11 restaurants in the South Loop. Included in the mix were a good variety that included Eleven City Diner, Acadia, and Spoke & Bird among others. The article noted that getting to the South Loop became a little easier when the Cermak-McCormick Green Line stop opened.

Pasta special from Flo & Santos, one the the restaurants that made the list.

For the full list of restaurants, click the link.

Did this list include your favorite South Loop restaurant? What would you add to the list?

New Shops and Restaurants Coming to Roosevelt Collection

Looks like the Roosevelt Collection developers are working hard to create destination shopping in the South Loop. All the elements were there for years: location, the movie theaters, the new landscaping, but now it looks like it is all coming together.

What would you like to see come to the Roosevelt Collection or the South Loop in general? I must say that I am especially excited about Porkchop opening this summer. One of our favorite restaurants outside the South Loop.

South Loop Connection Top Posts Of 2011

2011 Brings New Businesses The South Loop
2011 was a pretty exciting year for South Loop Connection and the South Loop. SLC went over 100,000 page views this year, now averaging over 7,000 reads per month. After seeing many businesses fail in the neighborhood last year, there seemed to be a resurgence of new business openings in 2011. The businesses receiving the most attention were restaurants. Just about any post having to do with food jumped to the top of the leader board.

The list that follows includes the top-ten SLC posts for 2011. You’ll notice that all but one of the posts have to do with food or new restaurant openings.

Number 10—New Restaurant to Open at 1355 S. Michigan. On October 14, 2011, a sign went up announcing the opening of a new restaurant: Alain’s opening in the space formerly occupied by Entourage Men.

Number 9—Bear’s Defensive Tackle to Open Restaurant in South Loop. Later in October, we learned that the Bears’s Israel Idonije was partnering with chef Alain Njike to open “Alain’s” at 1355 S. Michigan Ave.

Number 8—Are You “Underemployed?” The only non-food related post to make the top-ten, focused on a new MTV show centered around recent college graduates trying to make it on their own.

Number 7—Opening Date for Waffles: August 10. 2011. The new South Loop breakfast and lunch spot had announced several opening dates, all of which attracted a lot of attention.

Number 6—Scout’s Honor: The Scout’s Grand Opening is Set For August 19th and 20th. Like Waffles, The Scout had announced several opening dates. Blog posts on this new sports bar in the old Opera space attracted a lot of reads.

Number 5—New Restaurant to Open at 1400 S. Michigan. In June, a sign went up announcing that “Waffles” was opening soon, attracting over 590 reads.

Number 4—On Target: The Burger Point. On October 28, we went to this new burger restaurant at 1900 S. State St. during their soft opening. The place was packed and we spent some time meeting co-founder Asha Mathew. More than 650 readers were interested in this new South Loop eatery.

Number 3—The Scout Waterhouse & Kitchen: One Cool Space. In May, we had the opportunity to go to a press preview of The Scout. Owner Chris Bravos gave us a tour and pointed out design details throughout. It really did turn out to be one cool space, with over 670 readers in agreement.

Customers wait outside of Waffles

Number 2—Cupcake Wars Chicago Style. You almost would have to be living under a rock if you didn’t notice the recent proliferation of food trucks in Chicago. This post featured several cupcake trucks selling their bakery creations all around the city. After this blog, GiGi’s Bake Shop and the “purple bus” became a South Loop staple.

Number 1—“Waffles” to Open Late June. Waffles eventually opened in August, but this June announcement garnered over 1,650 reads.

Thank you for your support in 2011. We hope 2012 brings more good things to the South Loop. What South Loop post was your favorite?

Porkchop on Randolph

Oink, Oink!
You have to love a restaurant that unabashedly has an image of a pig on it’s menu and Web site landing page. Porkchop at 941 W. Randolph St. celebrates the pig, serving up classic comfort food in a cozy, unpretentious atmosphere. Porkchop has created a restaurant with a pub-like feel.

Laid-back Feel

There is a theme going on here.

Seating is comfortable and relaxed. Instead of napkins, each table comes equipped with its own roll of paper towels, conveniently bolted to the tabletop. Open for lunch and dinner, Porkchop has a good assortment of soups, salads, sandwiches, and main dishes.


Supper Time!
On a recent visit, the general manager explained the menu and suggested some vegetarian items. For starters, we ordered the blackened fish tacos with chipotle mayo, cabbage, and cilantro as an appetizer. The fish tacos were moist, tender, and flavorful. Since the name of the restaurant is “Porkchop,” we had to try the grilled pork chop with smashed red potatoes and apple sauce as one of our entrees. Our waitress “talked” us into ordering the pan-seared spicy catfish with Old Bay butter. Both entrees were expertly prepared and beautifully plated. The pork chop was plump and juicy and reminded us of home. Pork chops with apple sauce was a staple at the family dinner table growing up. The pan-seared spicy catfish, on the other hand, was not part of our mothers’ culinary repertoire.

Finishing Touches
For dessert we had “the Maker,” a root beer flow with vanilla ice cream and a shot of Maker’s Mark bourbon and Mexican-style cheesecake, which was not on the menu. The float tasted like a traditional root beer float, but with a little extra kick thanks to the bourbon. The cheese cake was light and creamy, which made us wonder if it was ricotta instead of cream cheese—apparently the recipe is a secret, so we couldn’t confirm the ingredients.

It’s all good!

Give it a Try
Prices for lunch and dinner are moderate. Our grilled pork chop with smashed potatoes and apple sauce was priced at $14. The pan-seared spicy catfish $14. The fish tacos (came with three tacos) for appetizer was $9. The Maker’s Mark root beer float and cheesecake for dessert was $9. If you love pork and other comfort foods like fried chicken (one of their specialties), give Porkchop a try.

New Restaurant to Open at 1400 S. Michigan

A New Breakfast Joint? 
"Waffles"  restaurant is opening soon at 1400 S. Michigan Ave. The location is just north of where Grace O'Malley's used to be. Judging by its name and the sign posted (see below), it looks like it could be a breakfast place. For several months, a restaurant permit has been posted on the window, but with no clue, until now, as to what type of restaurant might be opening there.

Japonais in the Mix?
Another sign posted says "hiring now" with the e-mail address alex@japonaischicago.com. It looks as if the folks who own Japonais at 600 W. Chicago Ave. might be the owners of this new restaurant concept, based on that e-mail address. Hard to tell from the sign, but my guess is it won't be nearly as upscale as that Chicago eatery.

After some recent long-time restaurants closings in the neighborhood, there appears to be a business renaissance. What do you think? Is there an uptick in new restaurants and businesses opening in the South Loop?


Thanks for the Connection JH

"Utopia" in the South Loop

A new restaurant opened recently in a familiar place. Utopia is open for business at 1315 S. Wabash Ave., in the space formerly occupied by Exposure Tapas Supper Club. Featuring "international Caribbean cuisine," Utopia is open for lunch and dinner.

Entrees are moderately priced, starting at $8.00. The highest priced entree on the menu is Dibi lamb (grilled lamb chops) at $20.

Lunch may be your best bet. The menu features 11 items--many appearing on the dinner menu for considerably more--including jerk chicken, jerk catfish, and brown stew chicken. All 11 lunch items are $9.00.

Utopia is open seven days a week. For reservations and additional information, call 312-662-1082.